Job Details

Summary

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise - "To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

With a reputation for excellence, innovation and extraordinary care of our Nation's heroes, VA Puget Sound strives to lead the nation in terms of quality, efficiency and public service through its proven record of innovation and extraordinary care of Veterans. As the primary referral site for VA's northwest region, VA Puget Sound provides care for Veteran populations encompassing Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. Since 1923, VA Puget Sound Health Care System has distinguished itself as a leader in teaching, research and patient care while earning prestigious recognition as part of the largest health care network in the country. We consider it our privilege to serve the health care needs of more than 80,000 Veterans living in the Pacific Northwest. VA Puget Sound serves Veterans from a five-state area in the Pacific Northwest. We have two main divisions: American Lake and Seattle. In addition to our main medical centers we offer services to our patients in seven community-based outpatient clinics in Bellevue, Bremerton, Federal Way, Mount Vernon, North Seattle, South Sound and Port Angeles.

Duties

The Reusable Medical Equipment/Sterile Processing Educator will function collaboratively with nursing and SPS staff to actively support development and implementation of programs to ensure education and training in RME and Sterile Processing. Duties include:

Development and delivery of staff development and education programs in RME/Sterile Processing

Development, administration and validation of initial and annual competencies for staff performing reprocessing of RME and all personnel in using the equipment

Assess and prioritize training needs of the staff and complete competency assessments

Educational resource for all employees on disinfection, decontamination, high level disinfection and sterilization practices

Collaborates in the integration of pertinent regulatory requirements, accreditation standards, guidelines and current infection control and sterilization and decontamination and processing practices into policies and procedures

Work Schedule: 0730-1600, off tours may be requiredFinancial Disclosure Report: not required

Annual leave shall accrue for full-time Nurses, and Nurse Anesthetists at the rate of 8 hours for each full biweekly pay period.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

United States Citizenship Required; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate State-accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing. OR The completion of coursework equivalent to a nursing degree in a MSN Bridge Program that qualifies for professional nursing registration constitutes the completion of an approved course of study of professional nursing. Students should submit the certificate of professional nursing to sit for the NCLEX to the VA along with a copy of the MSN transcript. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6) OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing.

Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia.

Preferred Experience:

Masters degree in Nursing

CNOR or CRCST certification

prior operating room or sterile processing experience

Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade:

Nurse I Level I - An Associate Degree (ADN) or Diploma in Nursing, with no additional nursing practice/experience required.

Nurse I Level II - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 1 year of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a bachelor's degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience; OR a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) with no additional nursing practice/experience.

Nurse I Level III - An ADN or Diploma in Nursing and approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR an ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a BSN with approximately 1-2 years of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing (MSN) or related field with a BSN and no additional nursing practice/experience.

Nurse II - A BSN with approximately 2-3 years of nursing practice/experience; OR ADN or Diploma in Nursing and a Bachelor's degree in a related field and approximately 2-3 year's of nursing practice/experience; OR a Master's degree in nursing or related field with a BSN and approximately 1-2 year's of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree in nursing or meets basic requirements for appointment and has doctoral degree in a related field with no additional nursing practice/experience required.

Nurse III - Master's degree in nursing or related field with BSN and approximately 2-3 year's of nursing practice/experience; OR a Doctoral degree.

Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-6 Nurse Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 03/30/2018 to receive consideration.

To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

The Reusable Medical Equipment/Sterile Processing Educator will function collaboratively with nursing and SPS staff to actively support development and implementation of programs to ensure education and training in RME and Sterile Processing. Duties include:

Development and delivery of staff development and education programs in RME/Sterile Processing

Development, administration and validation of initial and annual competencies for staff performing reprocessing of RME and all personnel in using the equipment

Assess and prioritize training needs of the staff and complete competency assessments

Educational resource for all employees on disinfection, decontamination, high level disinfection and sterilization practices

Collaborates in the integration of pertinent regulatory requirements, accreditation standards, guidelines and current infection control and sterilization and decontamination and processing practices into policies and procedures

Work Schedule: 0730-1600, off tours may be requiredFinancial Disclosure Report: not required

Best Care / Best Careers

To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan." These words, spoken by Abraham Lincoln during his Second Inaugural Address, reflect the philosophy and principles that guide VA in everything we do, and are the focus of our endeavors to serve our Nation's veterans and their families.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has one of the most diverse, challenging, and rewarding missions in the United States Government. We strive to meet the needs of the Nation's veterans and their families today and in the future.

VA manages one of the largest health care systems in the world and the nation's leading employer of registered nurses. Nurses in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are engaged in a variety of roles and have multiple opportunities for career and professional development. The VHA provides veterans and their dependents with many other services such as benefits and education, and also provides burial benefits.

Our goal is to provide excellence in patient care, veterans' benefits and customer satisfaction. We can provide you with challenging, interesting, meaningful work to care for the veterans who have risked their lives to protect our freedom.

As the Department of Veterans Affairs heads into the 21st century, we will strive to meet the needs of the Nation's veterans today and tomorrow. We are a more customer-focused organization, functioning as "One-VA" and delivering seamless service to our customers.

We benchmark our service with the best in business. We use innovative means and high technology to deliver "World-Class Customer Service". We foster partnerships with our customers and stakeholders, making them part of the decision-making process.